Fusing Three Layers

[Liz Gamelin]

I am a potter bitten by the hot glass bug! I am just beginning to experiment with the glass kiln option on my Paragon Janus-27 kiln.
It is 20" deep so I know I will have to raise the shelf up pretty high. What would be the optimal distance between the glass piece and the elements in the lid?

Second question: Here is the fusing schedule recommended on another site for fusing 3 layers of COE96:
1) 300 to 900 soak 15 min
2) 500 to 1100 soak 00 min
3) 100 to 1250 soak 30 min
4) 9999 to 1475 soak 10 min
5) 9999 to 950 soak 60 min
6) 50 to 800 soak 00 min
7) 100 to 700 soak 00 min
8- 300 to 100 soak 00min


I've attached a picture sample of what I'm calling three layers. Stacks of three in places, but not covering the entire surface.

Third question: is there a problem with attaching pieces with Elmer's glue to stabilize the pieces? Does the glue leave any kind of residue behind?
I would really appreciate any help anyone is willing to give me. I have been going though the forum archives and have seen how helpful the members are.

Thanks,
Liz Gameliln

[Stephen Richard]

The shelf should be below the temperature sensor. The side elements should be baffled so radiant heat does not directly affect the edges of the piece (avoiding the risk of sealing the edges too early)

For this kind of lay up I would use something like (all in Celsius)
200-625, 10mins
50-675,30 mins
300-800,10 mins
Afap-482,60 mins
60-428,0
120-370,0
240-100,0
Off

Yes, the glue can leave a residue, so use a little as possible and only at the edges or ends.

[Liz Gamelin]

Thanks for the help. I will give this a go.
I have so much to learn and I hate learning the hard way so the advise is most welcome!

[rosanna gusler]

I do not see the need to baffle. Slowing down takes care of that for me.

[Morganica]

Liz, you may wind up with some volume control issues with that layup. There's an old maxim in fusing circles: Glass "wants" to be 1/4 inch (i.e., two layers). Given enough heatwork, glass that's less than 1/4 inch will draw up to become 1/4, and glass that's more will spread out.

Where you have 3 layers, especially near the edges, the fully fused glass will have spread out, while the 2-layer areas will pretty much keep their volume. If you have straight lines at the edge, they could wind up a bit more crooked than you expect.

If you're not worried about the edge, it's no problem. If you were planning on straight edges, there are a few solutions:

1) Don't flat-fuse--apply less heatwork so that the volume stays vertical instead of spreading.
2) Plan on trimming the edges straight. You've got straight lines near the edge, so this method chop off something you don't want to lose.
3) Add an inch or so on each side of your base glass, so that a 10x10 piece becomes 12 x 12, and flat-fuse as normal. The volume change will (mostly) be absorbed by the extra glass, so that you can simply trim it back to the right size and slump into your mold.

If you're concerned about keeping your lines absolutely straight, you can also fuse this pattern upside down, so that the decoration is on the bottom, facing the kilnshelf. The kilnshelf is the most insulated part of the fuse, and you've also got the weight of all the glass pressing down on the design, so the lines stay (much) straighter. Do a search on this board for "flip and fuse" or "flip n fuse" and you'll find a lot of information on it.

[Liz Gamelin]

I will reign myself in and start out with a simple two layer design. I must learn to crawl before I run, lol.
I have so much to learn about this process and I really appreciate all the feedback.

[Jerrwel]

I will reign myself in and start out with a simple two layer design. I must learn to crawl before I run, lol.
I have so much to learn about this process and I really appreciate all the feedback.

Three books will get you a long, long way toward the knowledge and experience you want quickly:

*Contemporary Fused Glass, Guide to Fusing, Slumping, and Kilnforming Glass http://www.warmglass.org/books beside being absolutely beautiful, this book walks through stages of fusing so you can advance at your own pace with the projects presented. Note especially the information about fusing with non-tested glass; it's a real money saver! Presentations are for 90COE glass but the information is universally applicable.

*The Joy of Fusing, is about basic fusing but it also introduces single layer with partial layer setups. The big plus for this book (again IMHO) is the discussion of various firing levels. An important take away in this discussion is that not everything needs to be fired to a full fuse (my favorite temperatures are 1390F and 1425F except where higher temperatures are needed for a particular process such as a pot melt, shelf melt, etc.) This book also has a great presentation of glass processes relating to firing schedule development. This book focuses on 96COE, but again other than process temperatures is universally applicable.

*Firing Schedules for Glass http://www.warmglass.org/books; if there is a fusing bible, this is it. Get familiar with ideas behind firing schedule development and annealing before you take on the more technical aspects of this book. Contemporary Fused Glass is good prerequisite reading and practice is essential to using this book (IMHO).

Lastly, there are all kinds of axioms out there. My favorite is 'Low and Slow' meaning use the lowest temperature possible for the desired effect and fire slowly (firing schedule) to minimize heat-related risks.

Another axiom which I am trying to follow myself is (paraphrased), 'more is learned from failure than success.'

[Liz Gamelin]

Another axiom which I am trying to follow myself is (paraphrased), 'more is learned from failure than success.'

I also believe this to be true. I'm looking for the confidence to jump off the "fusing glass bridge", I don't want to make mistakes that will jeopardize my kiln (I've heard some horror stories). I try to minimize my failure by learning from the mistakes of others. Sometimes mistakes turn into happy accidents too This is often the case with pottery, which is my background.

I am hungry for knowledge on all things glass. I will check out the books you recommended. You are right, I am in a hurry to learn as much as I can about this medium. I have fallen for the bright colors. To a potter working with glass is like creating a glaze without the clay underneath, amazing stuff!

Thanks so much for the input! This is a great site!